Impacts of Tourism on Wild Dolphins

A complex and unresolved problem in wildlife management is detecting whether apparently benign human activities have cumulative effects that are harmful to wildlife populations. Dr. Lars Bejder from Murdoch University, Australia, is a leading expert in the field of impact assessments on cetaceans (whales and dolphins). He will present information on recent documented impacts of vessel-based tourism that demonstrates population-level impacts on cetaceans. He also will discuss how his research and that of colleagues has triggered a major shift towards sustainable management of such tourism encounters in Australia and elsewhere.